Retracing Eleanor of Castile's final journey
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At the end of the thirteenth century, England was gripped by grief as news of the Queen's death shook the nation. Eleanor of Castile's funeral procession from Lincoln to London would become one of the most remarkable journeys in medieval English history, and would become immortalised in stone through the famous Eleanor Crosses. Centuries later, Alice Loxton has retraced that historic route on foot, and in her latest book, Eleanor, she explores the landscapes that connect us to this past. For this episode of the History Extra podcast, Emily Briffitt spoke to her to find out more about these twelve stone crosses that act as enduring testaments to royal love, and the history we can uncover ourselves when we simply step outside. And Alice is one of the speakers at this summer's Chalk History Festival, which we here at History Extra are excited to be partnering up with again this year.
The UK's biggest history festival is back from the 22nd to the 28th of June at Broadchalk in Wiltshire, and other major names on the lineup include Mary Beard, Kate Williams and History Extra's own David Musgrove. Tickets are on sale now, with the full lineup being announced on Wednesday the 22nd of April. For more details, visit chalkfestival.com. But for now, let's head over to Alice and Emily. Alice, take us back in time.
The year is 1290 and one of England's most famous queens is about to make her final journey. Can we follow her in her footsteps, please? Well, yes, this is one of the most dramatic, perhaps overlooked moments in medieval history. It is the funerary quarterge of of Eleanor of Castile.
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